13 Eye-Opening Statistics About Theft in the Workplace

Office theft happens in every workplace, whether it’s your sandwich going missing from the fridge or your stationery mysteriously vanishing overnight. It can be a problem for both employees and employers and might be more common than you think.

Following a rise in demand for secure office storage, we asked 1,000 Brits about office theft at their workplace. Here is what we found:

1. 2.5 million Brits have stolen from their workplace

Over one-in-10 (10.4%) office workers admitted they have stolen something from their workplace. There are currently 24.7m people working in the UK, meaning over 2.5m are guilty of sneaking stationery, food and even money home with them.

2. 1.6 million have stolen from their colleagues

If you work in an office, you’ll be no stranger to debate over food and missing mugs. It’s maybe no surprise either, as 1.6 million office workers in the UK admitted to stealing from their colleagues. This doesn’t even include your colleagues that like to ‘borrow’ your things without telling you.

3. 1 in 6 (17%) said they have stolen food in the office

We asked the people who admitted to stealing what they had stolen from their office. Almost one-in-five (17%) said they had taken food from the communal fridge. A further 10% said they have stolen someone else’s mug.

4. One in 10 (10%) have stolen money

Stealing food and mugs is annoying, but one-in-10 (10%) even admitted they’ve stolen money from their office. A further 8% said they have taken laptops and phones that didn’t belong to them.

5. Stationery is the most stolen item in the workplace

40% said they have stolen a pen and other stationery in the office. You can find a full list of the most common items stolen in the workplace below:

6. Over one in five (21%) said they steal because everyone does it

One-in-five people said their reason for stealing from their workplace or colleagues was because everyone does it. This shows that office theft might be more common than people realise.

7. Only 8% have reported someone for stealing

Missing food and stationery are part of office life and very rarely is something done about it. Only 8% of people in the UK have reported someone for stealing, which probably explains why.

8. 35-44-year-olds steal more than any other age group

People aged 35-44 steal more than any other age group, with 14% saying they have stolen something from their workplace. You can find a full age breakdown below:

(% who said they have stolen something from their workplace)

• 18-25 – 5%
• 25-34 – 10%
• 35-44 – 14%
• 55-64 – 6%
• 65+ - 10%

9. 25-34-year-olds are the most likely to steal valuables

Despite 35-44-year-olds stealing more than any other age group, it was the younger generation that were more likely to steal money, laptops, and phones. Over one-in-five (20.6%) have stolen money from the office, 19% have stolen a laptop and 18% have stolen a phone.

10. Men steal from their workplace and colleagues more than women

We also found that men are more likely to steal mugs, food, and money from the office. Here is the % of men and women who said they have stolen the following items from the workplace:

11. Women steal because they don’t like their workplace, men steal because they’re bored

There were also differences between men and women when it came to why they steal. The most common reason was because they needed the item, but almost one-in-five women (19%) said they stole because they didn’t like their workplace, and 18% of men said they stole just because they were bored.

12. 25% of people working in law have stolen from their workplace

One-quarter (25%) of people who said law is their profession admitted to stealing from their workplace – more than any other industry.

(% who said they have stolen something from their workplace)

• Law - 25%
• Marketing and PR - 20% 
• Leisure, sport, tourism - 17.6% 
• Transport and logistics - 17.5% 
• Retail - 15.7% 
• Accountancy & banking - 13.8% 
• Teacher training and education - 13.5% 
• Information Technology - 12.3% 
• Energy and utilities - 11.5% 
• Engineering and manufacturing - 11.3%
 

13. 22% of people working in media and internet have stolen from their colleague

If you work in media and internet, you might want to keep an eye on your colleagues. 22% said they have stolen from their colleagues before, more than any other profession. This was followed by charity and voluntary workers (15%).

The Psychology Behind Why People Steal in the Workplace

Psychologists Art Markman, PHD, Professor of Psychology and Marketing, and Christopher Paul Jones, Harley Street Therapist have offered an explanation as to why people might steal from their employer and colleagues:

Art Markman says:

“Human behaviour is focused on doing things that feel right in the short term rather than things that feel right in the long term. If you need to eat right now, then available food will feel good to eat, even if it is wrong to take food from someone else. 

“People also tend to do what is easy for them to do in a particular environment. If you leave your new noise-cancelling headphones out on your desk in a cubicle farm, you are making it easy for people to give in to the temptation to acquire a new pair of headphones without paying for them.” 

Christopher Paul Jones adds:

“Taking small items from work, or from any place for that matter, is often driven by the need to feel safe and secure. It can be a way to feel in control. Particularly if someone is going through something in their personal life, where they perhaps feel out of control.  

“In a way, taking these items, is not that dissimilar to when people hoard things, they take material possessions and surround themselves with the items in order to create a sense of security, by recognising and addressing this behaviour, one can put themselves back in the driver’s seat and address the underlying emotions in order to resolve things.” 

The data from our survey shows that employees stealing from their workplace and colleagues isn’t uncommon in the office. One solution to office theft is secure office storage furniture, we have a wide range of lockable pedestals, cupboards, and employee lockers available on our website .